14 percent of Yorkshire parents prepare dinner from scratch only once or twice a month

Published:13:07Tuesday 12 April 2016

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Over two thirds of parents in Yorkshire admit their family could be eating better with 36 per cent acknowledging it is a daily struggle to get their families eating healthy and nutritious meals.

According to new research, collated and analysed by Wren Kitchens, here are the Top 3 culprits prohibiting a healthier family lifestyle in Yorkshire:

1) 39 per cent of parents state they simply don’t have time to cook healthy, nutritious meals every day

2) 26 per cent say that their family/children are reluctant to eat healthy foods

3) 25 per cent of parents think unhealthier food is cheaper

Surprisingly 38 per cent of Yorkshire parents say that they feel ashamed that their children don’t eat as well as they could/should, yet 40 per cent of them said that they have tried everything they can think of to encourage healthy eating.

However, a massive 38 per cent of parents have revealed that they cook separate meals for themselves and their children, and nearly half say they don’t bother meal planning or budgeting the food shop. Over a quarter (27 per cent) of parents in Yorkshire admitted to buying unhealthy products just because they’re on offer.

The research, which forms part of Wren Kitchens’ Little Kitchen campaign, explores family involvement and activities within the kitchen, and whether this can support and encourage a healthier, happier family lifestyle.

Linda Barker, Creative Director of Wren Kitchens, commented: “The study offers a real insight into busy modern families and the struggles we encounter in a bid to get our families to eat as well as we can.

“The data indicates some key influencers within these struggles, and our Little Kitchen campaign aims to explore ways of tackling and assisting with these – with advice and insight from real parents.”

The study also discovers that in Yorkshire, the youngest child is the most likely to demonstrate difficult eating habits, with parents believing this is mainly down to too much choice (31 per cent), not enough discipline (23 per cent) and plain stubbornness (23 per cent).

Interestingly, three quarters of parents in Yorkshire admit that as a child, they were instructed to eat what they were given to eat, but shockingly, not even half (46 per cent) instil this in their own children and only 20 per cent of parents ensure all items on their child’s plate are eaten before leaving the dinner table.